The commercial litho printing firm in Attleborough, Norfolk, switched from using Fuji workflow and Pro-T plates to Agfa’s Apogee workflow and Azura chemistry-free plates for a host of high-profile clients.
"We trialled Fuji’s chemistry-free Pro-T plates some time back but being in a hard water area meant we were better off with their processed Brillia plates," said general manager David Medler, whose 55-staff company has a turnover of £5m.
"However with customers such as Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth our environmental impact is constantly under the microscope, so it was imperative to find a suitable chemistry-free plate for our situation."
He added: "The decision was not a cost or plate-led thing; it was very much customer led in terms of environmental performance and also the Agfa portal, which we felt was best for our customers.
Studio manager Nick Howarth said: "Agfa made the change over to their Azura TS chemistry-free plates easy.
He added: "Being a sales-driven business, there has also been an increased demand for an online-proofing solution.
"Virtual proofing will make a big difference because customers can browse online whereas before we were firing PDFs around the world between customers, pre-press and various studios. This will tidy up a big part of the operation."
"We felt Agfa’s portal was the best suited to our clients – hence the switch over to the whole Agfa front-end suite. Where appropriate this will also help defray the cost and time of transporting proofs to our widespread customer base."
Customers also include the Royal Horticultural Society and the Science Museum.
Breckland Print, part of the Colchester Print Group, produces commercial print, from simple leaflets to complex catalogues, on Komori presses and offers design and finishing.
It claims to be the first printer in East Anglia to be accredited with ISO 14001.
